International Journal of Trend in Scientific
Research and Development (IJTSRD)
UGC Approved International Open Access Journal
ISSN No: 2456 - 6470 | www.ijtsrd.com | Volume - 1 | Issue – 5
Social Media as A Global Platform for Business and Branding:
Trends, Opportunities and Challenges
Dr. Nagraj Halliyavar
Associate Professor,
Dept of Communication and Journalism
Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka
Shruthi PK
PhD Scholar,
Dept of Communication and Journalism
Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka
ABSTRACT
Social media is emerging as the most successful
platform for business promotion. In the digital era,
every brand wants to prove its existence on social
media channels. Because the popularity of social
media has reached the peak. Knowing this fact, social
media channels too innovating new marketing tools
which can help these companies. A few years ago
companies were solely depending on print and
electronic media for promotional activities. Social
media has arrived like a boon for these companies.
Brands do not have to invest a huge amount of money
for branding and advertisements. The latest trend on
social media marketing is conveying a message that
the business world is only for those who can think out
of the box. Brands are competition with each other to
attract more customers by attractive social media
posts. Social media has given a chance for brands to
unleash their creativity while fulfilling their marketing
tasks. Indian brands especially start-ups have an easy
access to international market. Their existence is
recognized by global audience. All these are possible
due to the advent of social media.
Keywords: Social media, Global Platform, Business,
Branding
This research paper will analyze the ongoing trends
on social media marketing and also opportunities for
brands. It will find out the challenges faced by the
brands on social media channels. It will highlight the
power of social media in introducing the companies to
global audience.
When a majority of our population is getting breaking
news through social media, our entrepreneur
community is busy managing their brand reputation
on these channels. The impact that social media
platforms have had on customer service is
exceptional. Social media as a natural medium of
communication is
facilitating the business
I.
INTRODUCTION
Gone are the days when communication channels
were scarce and people had to rely on a few mediums
to convey their messages. Be it individuals or local
businesses, the communication gap was one of the
major reasons why generations took time to
experience growth. Today, when we have hundreds of
options to connect and communicate, things have
become easy, achievable and within reach.
The reach of social media is so wide that sometimes it
becomes really hard to observe how it has changed us
and the entire world. While it’s true that most of the
people around the world are collectively on social
media, thanks to the smart phones, mobile devices and
unlimited internet because they all when combined
together balance our connection with social media
platforms.
@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 1 | Issue – 5 | July-Aug 2017
Page: 380
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470
relationships in a more productive and time-saving
environment.
While the core idea behind a majority of social media
platforms was to connect people, these channels have
ultimately turned into hard-to-ignore business tools.
The hundreds of social media channels available
today allow businesses to connect with their existing
and potential customers in different ways.
3
5 3
Facebook
11
YouTube
Twitter
LinkedIn
78
Other
Social media is not only helping the businesses with
increased sales, but by understanding the customer
behaviour and buyer psychology through social
media; our entrepreneurs are getting prepared for the
future.
II.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives are framed in accordance with the need
of the researcher to analyze the role of social media as
a global platform for business and branding
The three main objectives are
➢
To analyse the ongoing trends on social media
marketing
➢ To examine challenges faced by companies
while promoting their businesses at the global
level on social media platforms
➢ To find out the opportunities for companies to
create the brand image on global level through
social media platforms
Facebook is the most popular social media channel
among the respondents. 78% of the respondents are
giving first preference to Facebook. 11% the
respondents prefer YouTube whereas 5% of the
respondents preferring Twitter over other social
media. LinkedIn is used by 3% of the respondents
and 3% of the respondents have revealed that they use
other social media channels for business promotions
and branding.
The growth of business through social media
promotion
9
III.
METHODOLOGY
Qualitative method is used for this research study.
The study was conducted in March 2017. Primary
data is collected by questionnaire and interviews. The
respondents are the business owners and freelancers.
These respondents are promoting their services on
various social media platforms. Respondents are from
different streams like content marketing, automobile
industry, writing services and digital marketing.
Questionnaires were emailed to the respondents and it
consisted both open ended and closed ended
questions.
IV.
DATA ANALYSIS
The preferred social media channel for business
promotion and branding
Excellent
24
Satisfactory
67
Poor
67% are agree that social media is a lifeblood for their
business promotion activities. They are highly
depending on social media channels. While 24% of
the respondents believe that social media is a good
medium for brand building, but it is not the most
reliable source to drive sales and investing a lot of
time in social media doesn’t offer higher ROI than
other digital and traditional marketing methods. 9%
respondents believe that using social media for
business promotion is not a very beneficial growth
element. They believe that social media marketing is
@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 1 | Issue – 5 | July-Aug 2017
Page: 381
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470
niche specific and cannot bring positive results for all
kinds of businesses. Lack of knowledge is also an
issue that causes many business owners and
freelancers to stay away from promotional activities
on social media. Majority of respondents from this
segment found that the investment and efforts they
made in business promotion through social media
didn’t bring expected results, while with the other
marketing methods they were successful in getting
good results.
Problems encountered
marketing
during
social
media
Lack of strategy
15
High advertising
cost
45
40
Lack of Information
Active role played by the social media in
persuading international customers
5
15
Good
Average
Poor
80
The main goal of any marketing strategy is to
persuade and influence potential buyers. When it
comes to social media marketing for business, the
campaigns must be geared towards persuading the
audience towards a predetermines sales funnel. Be it
global or local buyers, social media marketers need to
master the art of persuasion. For 76% of the
respondents that drive sales from international market,
social media is one of the most preferred marketing
mediums. Here the majority of businesses offer
services and 23% percent of the respondents deal in
both products and services. For 21% of the
respondents who market their business globally on
social media have experienced an average growth in
sales. According to 13% of the respondents, social
media is not a suitable channel for those willing to
drive sales from international customer base. 83% of
respondents believe that having a strong audience
base on social media helped them achieve trust of the
international buyers.
Driving business success through social media
marketing is not everyone’s cup of tea. When asked
about the challenges businesses find when marketing
their businesses on these platforms, 77% of the
respondents said that they do not have a documented
strategy for social media marketing. 42% of the
respondents find high advertising cost the reason
behind why they do not advertise on social media
platforms. 62% of the respondents believe that lack of
information and guidance keeps them away from
social media marketing. These respondents say that
they don’t know about choosing the right social media
channels for their business. Majority of this group
admits that they find it hard to discover their target
audience on social media.
V.
OTHER FINDINGS
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
A majority of business owners are not aware
about advertising on social media channels
Maximum number of businesses still do not
have a documented content marketing strategy
Facebook and LinkedIn are the most powerful
tools business owners use for personal and
business branding
Businesses prefer social media platforms that
enable them have an online store or the ability
to showcase products and services. Facebook
tops the list of the most used social channels
Businesses, both small and medium are
choosing digital marketing channels over
traditional marketing mediums
Some businesses also use unethical tactics
known as ‘black-hat’ techniques to gain
followers and actions on published content
@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 1 | Issue – 5 | July-Aug 2017
Page: 382
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470
➢
A large number of businesses still find social
media marketing a complex and time
consuming marketing method
➢ Only a small number of business owners use
automation in social media marketing and
content creation
VI.
CONCLUSION
As the business competitors improve their online
presence, the need for strong business identity on
social platforms grows. Building a recognizable brand
through social media not only adds credibility, but it
also helps gain followers. A successful social media
marketing strategy for a business brings new business
opportunities too.
6) Kelley, Jugenheimer(2008), Advertising Media
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Leiss, S.
K. (2005), Social
communication in advertising consumption in the
mediated marketplace, Routledge Taylor and
Franchis
It’s important for social media marketers to ensure
their activities help establish a clear identity of their
brand. Many businesses are focusing on social media
marketing and are winning followers and shares. The
right way to do so it to educate audience while
keeping the brand goals and services in mind.
To solve the social media marketing puzzle,
businesses must remember that they can succeed if
they can dive into their audience’s culture. If a
business can successfully create a relevant culture,
these digital technologies can turn out to be a driving
engine for growth. Social media has not only created
the possibilities and opportunities, but it has also
paved the way for effective customer service, business
marketing and increased brand awareness.
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@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 1 | Issue – 5 | July-Aug 2017
Page: 383